Cost of Traditional Thanksgiving Dinner Spikes Up

Sonora, CA — The Farm Bureau has put out its annual survey detailing the average cost of a classic Thanksgiving dinner for 10 people.

The 2021 average cost is $53.31, an increase of 14-percent from a year ago. It equates to just under $6 per person. Last year the average price was $46.90.

A notable increase is the average price of a turkey, which is now $23.99 for a 16-pound bird. It is up 24-percent from a year ago. Removing turkey from the list still results in a 6.6-percent overall increase.

Factors that the Farm Bureau attributes to the spike include inflation, supply chain disruptions, and difficulty in predicting demand during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Farm Bureau Senior Economic Analyst Veronica Nigh adds, “The trend of consumers cooking and eating at home more often due to the pandemic led to increased supermarket demand and higher retail food prices in 2020 and 2021, compared to pre-pandemic prices in 2019.”

The shopping list for the traditional meal includes turkey, stuffing, sweet potatoes, rolls with butter, peas, cranberries, a veggie tray, pumpkin pie with whipped cream, coffee and milk.